Monday, March 17, 2008

Brice Massamba- The Mountain West's New Mountain

Brice Massamba is a mountain of a man. Findlay College Prep (NV) needed all 6'10 of the senior power forward this season to make their run to the national finals. Massamba will attend UNLV next year, where he could have a major impact as soon as he steps on the court. Massamba's immesne abilities where on display at the Prep National Championships title game on March 6. Massamba hurt his knee about halfway into the first half after coming down hard on an attempt to grab an offensive board. Brice had to sit out for a while, but came back and continued to dominate. I caught up with Brice after the game.

NB: You guys didn’t quite come up with the victory, but what are some of the positives you can take out of that game?BM: That we played together, and we did it as a team.

NB: And you’re heading off to UNLV next year. . . . How were you able to pick UNLV over all the schools looking at you?BM: They were recruiting me in the beginning of the season when I came in last year, and I just love the coach and the fans, so I picked it.

NB: When you think back on your high school and prep career, . . . what stands out to you as the best moment, the one you are going to remember . . . forever?BM: I will remember this year forever because [of] the team we had., I loved the team, all of the guys. It was just fitting.

NB: Does losing this game put a damper on the season, or is it still just great?BM: It’s still great, but it could [have been] better if we won the last game.

NB: You guys still knocked off a lot of great teams. . . . How is this going to help Findlay build their reputation as a top-notch prep school?BM: I think people will start giving Findlay some more respect now that they know what we can do.

NB: What do you think about playing time for next year, or are you not even worried about that yet?BM: I’m not worried about that yet.

NB: Do you have any college goals at all for your four years there?BM: Take UNLV to [the] NCAA Tournament at least.

NB: What happened to your knee in the first half? You came down hard on it. . . . Do you [know] what the injury was?BM: I twisted my knee when I landed after the push. . . . I’m not really [sure] what happened. We will [check] . . . up [on it] when I come back to [Las] Vegas.

NB: Was that affecting you in the second half, or where you past that?BM: No, I didn’t think about it.

NB: So, you’re fine now?BM: No, not really. It hurts, so we’ll [check] . . . up [on it] when I get back.

When Massamba gets to UNLV, he will be the new mountain at the school and in the Mountain West Conference as a whole. Brice has tremendous abilities, with nice agility for a player of his size. Massamba displayed a pretty drop step, a knack for grabbing rebounds, and was easily the biggest player on the court. If Massamba plays in college the way he did in the title game, he could be an absolute steal for Runnin' Rebels of UNLV.